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Following an improbable week of college football, the most recent AP poll rankings leave the USC Trojans on the outside looking in amongst the major powers. The highlights were rather tough to swallow this Sunday morning, but the fact remains USC cost itself a prime opportunity to slide up near the top-10 overall rankings.
While the Trojans did receive some major love in the Sagarin Rankings, which evaluate strength of schedule and quality of overall performance, USC has fallen from the class of the AP Rankings. Plenty of Pac-12 counterparts lost this weekend, with six games decided by a touchdown or less, the class of Utah and Stanford complete this week's rankings which are sure to change this time next weekend.
USC's biggest rival, Notre Dame, rose up to No. 6 overall after beating Stanford (USC's best win) in the closing moments, while UCLA's offensive line cost them a win against an upstart Utah Utes squad. The Trojans next opponent, No. 10 overall Arizona, surprisingly holds the Pac-12's highest ranking and only undefeated clip.
Arizona State benefitted from a last-second leap back into the AP rankings and UCLA is holding on by a thread, especially as an upset and beaten down Oregon squad heads to the Rose Bowl next weekend for an elimination game of sorts. Well maybe not in this wacky conference which somehow still has five teams in the AP top-25 rankings.
AP | Coaches | Sagarin | |
1 | Florida State | Florida State | Auburn |
2 | Auburn | Auburn | Oklahoma |
3 | Mississippi State, Ole Miss (tie) | Baylor | Ole Miss |
4 | Ole Miss | Alabama | |
5 | Baylor | Notre Dame | Baylor |
6 | Notre Dame | Mississippi State | Texas A&M |
7 | Alabama | Alabama | TCU |
8 | Michigan State | Michigan State | Mississippi State |
9 | TCU | Oklahoma | Notre Dame |
10 | Arizona | Georgia | Georgia |
11 | Oklahoma | Oregon | Oregon |
12 | Oregon | TCU | UCLA |
13 | Georgia | Arizona | Florida State |
14 | Texas A&M | Texas A&M | Michigan State |
15 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Stanford |
16 | Oklahoma State | Kansas State | LSU |
17 | Kansas State | UCLA | Ohio State |
18 | UCLA | Oklahoma State | Clemson |
19 | East Carolina | East Carolina | USC |
20 | Arizona State | Arizona State | Florida |
21 | Nebraska | Nebraska | Kansas State |
22 | Georgia Tech | Stanford | Arkansas |
23 | Missouri | Georgia Tech | Nebraska |
24 | Utah | Missouri | Wisconsin |
25 | Stanford | Clemson | Louisvlle |